Vacuum sealer recommendation please?

4ever3 said:

I’m looking at 2 weeks storage time, 3 max...

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As you discovered, you don't need a vac-sealer for that short period of time. Like the others said; Zip-lock or Saran Wrap will work just fine.



Vac-sealers are great for long-term storage as the package is void of air / oxygen and thus, virtually almost impervious to freezer burn with a proper seal. I've had bags of food accidentally fall behind other items, only to find them about two years later. No degradation of product, and the taste was almost as good as the day it was sealed and frozen.

4ever3 said:

This thread is like bizzaro world :laugh:

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You were expecting something less? :laugh::wink::wacko::crazy:

I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-FM...ds=food+saver&qid=1557423174&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Don't use it very often because I buy 6 months worth of skinless chicken breasts at a time and seal them in bags of 2 or a whole ribeye and do 2 steaks in a bag.

They stay in the freezer for months with no freezer burn.

Also, it's great for saving leftover Que (if you ever have such a thing).

It's just the wife and I, so even doing one picnic for pulled pork leaves lots of leftovers. Vac bags do a great job of preserving the flavor and texture. I've had stuff that was forgotten about in the bottom of the freezer for 2 years that I thawed and ate and it tasted no worse than stuff that was only frozen for a week.

The manual seal button is a must, but I've noticed with this model you only have a few seconds window to hit that button when liquids start getting to the top of the bag. If you miss the window you have to pull the lever to unlock the lid in order to interrupt the cycle and save from wasting a bag. Once liquids get all over the area of the bag you're trying to seal its a huge PITA to get it clean enough to seal again.

I've never had good luck with wrapping stuff in saran wrap & freezer bagging it. Everything always seemed to get freezer burnt/huge ice crystals all over it even when only freezing things for a few weeks.

Food saver (or other brands) bags remove all the air in the bags so no ice crystals or freezer burn is possible. I don't want to call it "fool proof", but as long as you know how to get a decent seal, it practically is. Plus the bags are easy to throw in a tub of water to thaw, reheat in boiling water or even sou vide (SP?) bath.

Anyway that's my opinion.

***Sean "Puffy" Coals is a paid spokesperson for Food Saver****

j/k

Here's a recent thread of mine on sealers:

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=270466

Sean "Puffy" Coals said:

The manual seal button is a must, but I've noticed with this model you only have a few seconds window to hit that button when liquids start getting to the top of the bag. If you miss the window you have to pull the lever to unlock the lid in order to interrupt the cycle and save from wasting a bag. Once liquids get all over the area of the bag you're trying to seal its a huge PITA to get it clean enough to seal again.

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A trick I learned to combat this problem is to fold up a piece of paper towel and put it inside the bag just below where you want to seal. It will catch the juices and hold them while the bag seals.

THis is the one I found the best to work with meat

Hi, I found Kendom Vacuum Sealer to work best with meat, no affiliation with them, thanks.

I bought this cheapo on a whim. I knew I needed one to seal meat to freeze but didn't have much disposable cash. I paid $50 for it, now it's only $40. I've used it about a dozen times and no issues so far. I'm sure it won't last long but for this price it's worth a shot.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08F72TY67/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

frankcornish said:

Hi, I found Kendom Vacuum Sealer to work best with meat, no affiliation with them, thanks.

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2 year old necro bump with a recommendation on your first and only post after joining, but totally not any affiliation! :suspicious:

Oddly I had just read this thread last night because I have been thinking of getting a vacuum sealer. The engineer in me is upset with all the talk about how the cheap ones (even the FoodSavers) are not great when the accountant wife was already balking at the FoodSaver price tag.

GatorBeerGeek said:

... The engineer in me is upset with all the talk about how the cheap ones (even the FoodSavers) are not great when the accountant wife was already balking at the FoodSaver price tag.

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Well, you could do what I did (as a cheapskate engineer type): Buy a FoodSaver and gain some experience with the lousy sealing and narrow seal width, then give up and buy a Weston.

I would be tempted to make the next step and get a chamber sealer but we just don't have the space for one. And, truthfully, our need to package liquids is small.

airedale said:

Well, you could do what I did (as a cheapskate engineer type): Buy a FoodSaver and gain some experience with the lousy sealing and narrow seal width, then give up and buy a Weston.

I would be tempted to make the next step and get a chamber sealer but we just don't have the space for one. And, truthfully, our need to package liquids is small.

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This is my exact story as well, even the engineer part.

I bought a Bonsenkitchen refurbished off amazon for $35. It works fine. It has a wet/dry setting, I sometimes double seal an end if I think I didn't get a good seal on it.

Avid Armor chamber vac

I have this one and love it. I have a separate area and am able to leave it out all the time. They are running a 25% off sale right now.


https://www.meatyourmaker.com/preserve/food-sealer/vacuum-sealers/chamber-vacuum-sealer/1117075.html

swamprb said:

Avid Armor chamber vac

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Totally agree. I've pretty much quit using my FoodSaver since getting one.

I have a Foodsaver V2244 like below. it does all I have asked for it for three years now.

Ditto the Avid Armor chamber sealer !
I have the big one and it rocks !

Bk

swamprb said:

Avid Armor chamber vac

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Just finished up "processing" 24 pounds of 80/20 ground beef. Netted 44 patties and 12 - 1 pound chubs using my AvidArmor chamber vac. No slowing down to wait for the heating element to cool off. Bag sizes ranged from two 1/4 pound patties each to 4 - 1 pound chubs in a single bag.

I know there are other brands regularly touted here and I have no doubt they're equal to or possibly even better but the one thing that sold me on the AvidArmor chamber vac was the unit's weight compared to others. At 30 pounds (larger unit) it's easily stored in a cabinet rather than sitting on the counter or requiring some sort of rolling stand. The ability to vac-seal wet items (soups, juicy meats, even water for ice packs) makes a chamber vac far more versatile that ordinary Foodsaver units.

Foodsaver units have their place for sure. I still have one and use for specific tasks but the Avid Armor chamber vac is my go-to unit for sealing items.